My two cents

Let me join Kayode in welcoming everyone to the course. I'll also post some lecture notes, tips and interesting topics for debate on this blog every so often, as well as some links to helpful reading material.

This week we learned about the important elements in a definition of journalism. We discussed a journalist's rights, roles and responsibilities and we debated the changes that the internet has brought to traditional journalism. I also assigned you some important reading for our next class; don't forget it!

I invite you all to take a look at the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics to help you better understand the responsibilities of a journalist. And keep refining your personal journalism definitions to include more of the elements we discussed in class. Remember, journalism includes: a form of expression; reporting and commenting; the here and now; public media; events and ideas. To help get you started, here's my personal definition of journalism and journalists:

"Journalism happens when people gather, analyse and relate facts and evidence (usually through writing) about important/relevant events and ideas through public media to an audience. Journalists are the people who practice journalism, and they have certain specific roles, rights and responsibilities to observe during this practice."

Feel free to start a discussion or post your own helpful insights in the comments section. Looking forward to our next class.